Of Dogs, House Chores and Babysitting
by Squirly-chan
Summary: She called him a 'dog thief'. Now, she has to pay for insulting him. How? She will take care of the dogs, house chores and babysitting his younger brother. And oh, she'll fall in love with him too.


**Yay! Here is another new story from yours truly, Squirly-chan. Our periodical exams are still far so I still have time to update some of my fanfics. Please enjoy this one! Just so you know, Mikan, Hotaru and Ruka are all 16 years old while Natsume is 17 years old.**

**FULL SUMMARY: Ruka Nogi was a very rich kid, always giving expensive gifts to his close friends. Mikan and Hotaru were closest to him and they have always received presents of their wildest dreams. So one time, they decided to repay Ruka with all the gifts and kindness he had shown to them. The two wanted to hold a surprise birthday party for Ruka, complete with scrumptious delicacies, cold beverages and decorations! But the problem was… The girls didn't have enough money to afford all the party preparations. So Mikan and Hotaru applied for jobs at a pet grooming establishment. At the first day of work, a young boy entered the shop and brought two large dogs. When Mikan was about to take hold of the larger dog, it got away from her and ran outside! Then when she reached the dog, a tall boy was petting the dog! Mikan thought he was a thief so she yelled "Dog thief" at him. It looks like Mikan shouldn't have done that because now, her so-called normal life will turn into a life full of house-chores and babysitting. Why? Read on! And what about Ruka's surprise party? Uh-oh.**

**OF DOGS, HOUSE CHORES AND BABY-SITTING**

**By Squirly-chan**

**CHAPTER ONE**

**The Jobless**

Mikan and Hotaru were discussing about preparing a surprise birthday party for their good friend, Ruka Nogi, the richest kid in school. His birthday was coming next month. Actually, they weren't really discussing about it; they were just having a heated argument whether to hold him a party or not.

"Nah. He doesn't need it. Come on, he's rich and he could have his own birthday party on his own," said Hotaru with an angered expression on her face. "Don't be a party-pooper, Hotaru! We must hold a surprise for Ruka-pyon! He's our friend and we must repay him for all the kindness he has given to us! It's the thought that counts!" Mikan defended her side.

"Where did you get that, from the back of a cereal box? And besides, what are the things he had done for us for him to deserve a surprise 17th birthday party?" said Hotaru, challenging Mikan's rising tonal voice.

"He always gave us expensive gifts on our birthdays even though we didn't ask for them! Remember the time when…"

**FLASHBACK**

_Mikan was walking towards the classroom when she noticed something sparkly in front of the door on the floor. She approached it and saw it was a present wrapped in glittery pink paper. It had a small tag on top of it and Mikan read it aloud. _

_**To a good friend of mine, Mikan Sakura**_

_**From your close friend, Ruka Nogi**_

_Mikan knelt down beside her gift and opened it excitedly. To her surprise, it was the latest Swatch watch in the winter collection! It was worth a fortune!_

_-_

_-_

_Hotaru passed by a music store at the mall and saw that the new CD Album of her favorite foreign band just got released! But too bad she didn't have enough money to afford the album at that time. So she went home with a frown._

_When she entered her small room, Hotaru found a small parcel lying on the top of her neatly-folded clothes. She read the small violet tag glued to the surface._

_**Hope you enjoy this, Hotaru Imai**_

_**From your friend, Ruka Nogi**_

_Hotaru smiled to herself._

_She instantly tore the wrapper into pieces until her smile quickly turned into a wide grin that reached to her ears. It was the CD album she spotted earlier ago at the mall!_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

As both of them reminisced about the several expensive gifts Ruka had given them a long time ago, defeat had dawned upon Hotaru's face.

"Okay, okay. Let's say that I agreed to this party, where are we supposed to get enough money to afford all the everyday expenditure expenses? We can't have a party without drinks, food and decorations, right?" said Hotaru.

An awkward silence followed.

Mikan hadn't thought of that yet. But since Hotaru's prying eyes watched her every movement, she must immediately think of something to answer.

After a couple of minutes, pacing and thinking deeply, an idea struck Mikan's mind.

"Let's find jobs! We can earn enough money in one month! Tell me I'm a genius, Hotaru-chan!" yelled Mikan excitedly, proud of her clever idea.

"Sorry but I mustn't tell any lies, Mikan," laughed Hotaru. Mikan pouted and furrowed her eyebrows. "Just because you're smarter than me doesn't mean you can humiliate me every time, Hotaru! I can think of good ideas, you know!"

Mikan's expression saddened as she sank to the nearest arm chair.

Hotaru checked the time on a wristwatch Ruka gave her a long time ago. Then, she looked up and said suddenly, "Get up, idiot. I know a place where we can get jobs."

Mikan stood up hastily and asked, "Really? Where?"

"Not far from here. We can still get there before the shop closes at 7:00 PM," informed Hotaru as she dragged her best friend outside the door.

o-o-o-o-o

**6:30 PM**

Only seven minutes had passed when Hotaru and Mikan reached the place. It was a small yet spacey shop with two large glass windows on either side of the door. The windows displayed a variety of canned dog food and catnips. There were also shampoos and conditioners to maintain the glow on any dog or cat's fur.

Mikan pressed her face onto the glass and exclaimed, "Look Hotaru! There are a lot of things for pets here! Maybe I should buy some for my pet dog, Louie!"

"Hey, we went here to get jobs, not pet stuff. You can buy Louie whatever you like is interesting but firstly, we have to earn money for Ruka's party," snapped Hotaru as she entered the shop, leaving Mikan outside.

Mikan sighed and followed suit.

-

-

-

"So, do the two of you have any experiences on pet grooming?" asked the manager. The shop Hotaru and Mikan entered was called Paw-Poppers, a pet grooming establishment. It was one of the most successful businesses in Japan.

"Yes, ma'am. Both of us own dogs that we take care of any time possible," said Hotaru, "You can even check them out and see that they are really well-groomed dogs."

"Hmm…"

The manager turned away and whispered something to her accomplice. The accomplice said something and the manager turned away and gave Hotaru and Mikan a two-thumbs-up.

"Hooray! Whekenwestat?" said Mikan, obviously tongue-tied from all the bliss.

"Er… My friend meant something in the lines of 'When can we start'?" explained Hotaru, glaring at Mikan.

The manager smiled kindly and replied, "That's quite okay. You two could start tomorrow morning!"

Hotaru and Mikan thanked the woman and her accomplice and bid goodbye.

o-o-o-o-o

**EARLY NEXT MORNING**

Mikan and Hotaru met at 8:00 AM in front of the mall entrance. Both of them were wearing hairnets and blue shirts with yellow stripes. Blue and yellow were apparently the official colors of Paw-Poppers.

They waited for a bus to come by. After approximately 7 minutes, a bus came by and the two hopped on board.

When they reached the shop, the girls were caught by surprise. There was a LOT of people lined up with their dogs by the counter! One looked like it had a bad hair day.

Mikan and Hotaru marched up into the counter and started their new job as pet groomers.

-

-

-

**5:00 PM**

It was a tiring day for Hotaru and Mikan. They had fun giving baths to all the animals lined up. Hotaru took care of the cats while Mikan helped in grooming the dogs.

When the line of people dispersed as they left their pets in the care of Mikan and Hotaru, they were wearing smiles on their faces. They appeared to have liked the customer service at the establishment.

When the girls finished, they sank to the sofa in front of the television. They were really exhausted but there were no traces of tiredness on their faces.

But when they were getting drinks from the refrigerator, the bell sounded and that meant another customer!

Hotaru sipped some orange juice from her cup and peeked at the door.

"Two dogs. That means you, Mikan," informed Hotaru.

"Yay! More dogs to take care for!" said Mikan.

She stood up and placed her cup on the side table. She saw that the new customer was a little boy with grayish hair. He was holding onto leashes that belonged to a Great Dane and a Golden Retriever.

Mikan stared in horror at the Great Dane. It was all brown in color but the color didn't scare her, it was the towering height of the dog!

Mikan just shrugged it off and approached the young boy.

"Good afternoon, sir! What are your dogs' names?" inquired Mikan, giving a bright smile. The boy gave Mikan the leashes and replied in a soft voice, "Auto and Gold. I want you to give them a long warm bath. They're going to enter a dog show tomorrow."

Mikan responded with an A-Ok as she brought the dogs to the bathing room. When she secured the leash on Gold, the Golden Retriever, she turned to Auto.

When she was about to take hold of his leash, the dog barked at Mikan and quickly ran away towards the open door.

"No!!! Auto, come back!" yelled the little boy.

The manager walked away from the counter and said, "Mikan! Go get Master Youichi's dog! Hurry up!"

Mikan quickly stood up and went after the dog.

'_Why does it have to be a Great Dane? Long legs and all…'_ thought Mikan. She searched the streets and noticed that people were talking animatedly about a large dog. When Mikan passed two teenage girls, she heard a few lines of their conversation.

"Did you see that cute dog? It was too big for me but it certainly was adorable!"

"I beg to disagree. I think the guy who was holding it was cuter!"

"Guy?! Wha-what if he's a dog thief?! That little boy will be disappointed!" panicked Mikan. She searched frantically and ran towards the direction the girls came from.

And then she saw it.

A tall raven-haired boy who looked about seventeen years old was kneeling beside Auto! And he was embracing him and it looked as if he was taking the dog away!

"Hold it right there, you dog thief!!!" screamed Mikan with all her energy mustered up.

The boy stood up, his hand on Auto's hand and Mikan heard him said, "What the heck…"

"You heard me right! Ge-get your hands off that dog or I'll call the animal police people!" said Mikan, getting closer to Auto.

Mikan looked at Auto and it seemed as if he was smiling happily. That got Mikan curious. But still, she knelt down and tried to get Auto's attention.

"Come here Auto! Did the mean little boy hurt you?"

Then suddenly, Mikan heard footsteps on the stony sidewalk from behind.

"Brother!!!"

It was the little boy who owned Auto and Gold! Wait… What did he just say? Brother?!

The boy ran towards his so-called brother and embraced him. Then he let go and patted Auto's large head.

This looked like an 'uh-oh' situation for Mikan.

"Um… Little boy… Is this your brother?" asked Mikan, pointing at the raven-haired boy.

"Obviously, you idiot," said the boy's older brother.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know… I thought you were those people who kidnap dogs!" said Mikan, bowing as to show respect and a sincere apology. Then more footsteps followed and Mikan saw the manager of Paw-Poppers and Hotaru.

"Ma-master Youichi! Master Natsume! I'm terribly sorry! The dog ran and-" She was cut off by the boy whose name was Natsume.

"You mean this girl works at our establishment?" asked Natsume calmly.

The manager nodded silently. That Natsume guy was surely intimidating from the way he talked. "And is that jet black-haired girl a friend of hers who works at Paw-Poppers as well?"

Again, the manager nodded.

"Well then… Fire them."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Oh no! Mikan and Hotaru got fired on their very first day of work! What about Ruka's surprise birthday party? Find out the two girls' next step to find the answer to this problem! Please do kindly leave a review if you liked it! Tell me what you think! Thank you! Take care!


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